A couple new bouts were announced over the weekend for upcoming fight cards, and I’ll give my thoughts on them in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Rick Glenn vs. Kevin Aguilar, TUF 28 Finale
An injury to Arnold Allen sees Rick Glenn now take on Kevin Aguilar at the TUF 28 Finale, which is set for November 30 at Pearl Theatre at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mike Heck of Fansided broke the news. Glenn (21-5-1) is 3-2 in the UFC and in his last fight he picked up the biggest win of his UFC career to date when he took home a split decision over Dennis Bermudez. Glenn was originally an injury replacement for Gilbert Melendez. Aguilar (15-1) is riding a seven-fight win streak into the UFC with a split decision win over Joey Gomez on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series getting him a UFC deal. His only career loss was TKO defeat to UFC vet Leonard Garcia. This should actually be a really good scrap but based on his UFC experience and the significant short notice for Aguilar I’d have to favor Glenn.
Raoni Barcelos vs. Chris Gutierrez, TUF 28 Finale
Also added to the TUF 28 Finale is a bantamweight bout between Raoni Barcelos and Chris Gutierrez. Globo broke the news. Barcelos (12-1) is currently riding a five-fight win streak and is coming off of a KO win over Kurt Holobaugh in his Octagon debut. Gutierrez (12-3-1) is coming off of three straight wins on the regional circuit and is a vet of Bellator and WSOF. Hard not to like Barcelos here given his incredible UFC debut and the fact Gutierrez is fighting a significant step up in competition in this bout.
Renato Moicano vs. TBA, UFC 231
An injury to Mirsad Bektic has left to Renato Moicano needing an opponent on short notice for UFC 231, which takes place December 8 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Moicano (13-1-1) is 5-1 in the UFC and is quickly emerging as a serious title contender with back-to-back wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson in his last fight. No idea yet who will replace Bektic, but keep an eye on Ricardo Lamas, who just finished Darren Elkins at UFC Argentina, as well as former featherweight kingpin Jose Ado.
Markus Perez vs. Anthony Hernandez, UFC 233
A middleweight bout between Markus Perez and Anthony Hernandez is slated for UFC 233. Combate broke news of the bout. Perez (10-2) is 1-2 in the UFC. His submission win over James Bochnovic was very impressive but he didn’t look so great in decision losses to Eryk Anders and Andrew Sanchez. He has some notable wins from prior to the UFC worth mentioning, including a tapout win over Ian Heinisch, who just beat top-15 ranked Cezar Ferreira this past weekend at UFC Argentina. Hernandez (7-0) is an undefeated prospect and is coming to the UFC after a KO win on the Contender Series. Based on how inconsistent Perez has been in the UFC so far it’s hard not to favor Hernandez in this fight, though it’s definitely a step up in competition.
